time for a vacation

It’s almost the end of May, the time when summer is knocking to our doors. Hangzhou is usually already quite hot at that time – it was hot last week with the temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius! – but it’s been very cool since Sunday. Cool, comfortable, a bit windy, sometimes chilly, often rainy – my favourite kind of rain: drizzle! Ha, funny, do you have your own favourite kind of rain? Or perhaps you dislike it at all? I may prepare a class on that! Rain has always given me a lot of inspirations.

The end of May is also the last moment for me to go on a vacation. Summer is a peak season in my school: many students, many classes, all hands on board – so we’re usually not supposed to take any days off, unless it’s really necessary. Now it’s the time… I’m going to Thailand on Sunday! I’m going to spend there a couple of days – it’s going to be my 3rd time in that country, but of course not at the same place. This time I’m going to visit a small island in the south-east called Koh Samui (in Thai: เกาะสมุย). Actually I can’t wait to go there! Is it me getting older that I often feel tired in the evenings, or I’ve been more busy? Anyway, I still feel the energy and strenght to give people what’s best in me.

Sinéad

Within Temptation have been present on my chart for a really long time – I guess since 2003, but so far have managed to reach the top only once – with “Memories” in 2005. This week it’s the 2nd time – a single “Sinéad” didn’t let Adele stay on top longer than a week. But maybe James Blunt is more unlucky – despite Adele’s failure, he “only” could keep his position of a vice-leader…

Hitlist #533
May 23rd, 2011

1. 4 (4) WITHIN TEMPTATION, Sinéad
2. 2 (8) JAMES BLUNT, If Time Is All I Have
3. 1 (7) ADELE, Set Fire To The Rain
4. 3 (5) LADY GAGA, Judas
5. 6 (4) SADE, Love Is Found
6. 5 (10) 周杰伦 (JAY CHOU), 天地一斗 (Tiandi Yi Dou)
7. 7 (5) 林俊杰 (JJ LIN), 完美新世界 (Wanmei Xin Shijie)
8. 11 (3) THE MUSIC, Ghost Hands
9. 19 (7) TAKE THAT, Happy Now
10. 8 (6) GOMEZ, Options
11. – (1) 王力宏 (LEEHOM), 自己人 (Ziji Ren)
12. 14 (2) BRITNEY SPEARS, Hold It Against Me
13. 10 (7) 龚琳娜 (GONG LINNA), 忐忑 (Tante)
14. 15 (3) ARCTIC MONKEYS, Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
15. 9 (8) PJ HARVEY, The Glorious Land
16. 13 (7) DURAN DURAN, Girl Panic!
17. 12 (9) 潘玮柏 (WILL PAN), UUU
18. 18 (2) GEORGE MICHAEL, You And I
19. – (1) TAKE THAT, Love Love
20. 16 (12) ELLIE GOULDING, Lights

pirates

I went to the cinema last night and saw the newest, 4th part of “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Good stuff, I enjoyed it a lot!… although it’s just a fairytale. But who doesn’t like fairytales…?

After several hot days Hangzhou is experiencing some cool and rainy weather. But still it doesn’t stop me from going swimming! I’ve made a new friend in the swimming pool today – it’s so easy! And I’ve made another one in Starbucks! Sometimes it’s enough to smile at people… What’s more important, they both don’t speak English. Yes, now I’m able to make friends with people using only Chinese! I guess that’s a great progress which I can be really proud of.

all you want and all you need

What do you want from life? Are you a greedy person?

What is all you need? What are the basic human needs? Do you have big needs?

Do you think people want more and more from life? No matter how much they have? Can people ever be satisfied?

What did you want when you were a child? Did you get it?

***

Sountrack:

The Beatles, All You Need Is Love

Air, All I Need

Radiohead, All I Need

Ace of Base, All That She Wants

Kylie Minogue, All The Lovers

James Blunt, If Time Is All I Have

Duran Duran, All You Need Is Now

U2, All I Need Is You

concert

Wednesday, May 18th was a special day. Really special! Wang Lihong (王力宏), also known as Leehom – one of the greatest Chinese pop stars, came to Hangzhou and held a concert here. I didn’t plan to attend it, I had to work late. In my last class there was only one student, who was very surprised by that. I explained to him that others probably had gone for a concert. And then that student suggested to go too! I told him I hadn’t bought the tickets… but he answered that it was no problem. Haha, he decided to spend a lot of money only to buy 2 tickets! In a VIP area! We were in the 2nd row! Fantastic!

Oh, what a night! Oh, what a singer! What a handsome man he is!

mountains

Mountains are beautiful. Mountains are challenging. People have always liked challenges, that’s why they’ve always climbed… There is even a sport called mountaineering. If you’re not brave enough, you may try hiking – the hills are lower than the mountains.

Foot of the mountain, slope (steep or gentle), peak (or summit or top)…

Why are the mountains dangerous?

  • slippery – you may fall down, break a leg or an arm, or even die
  • steep
  • changing weather – it can change very quickly! And the thunderstorms in the mountains are especially violent.
  • wild animals – you may encounter snakes, bears, maybe even wolves?
  • getting lost
  • avalanches – if you climb in winter or early spring, there may be a lot of loose snow
  • rockfall – be aware of rocks falling onto you!
  • lack of oxygen – the higher you climb, the less oxygen there is. Above 8000 meters there is so called “death zone”… have you ever heard of altitude sickness?

Eight-thousanders – 14 mountains which are taller than 8000 meters above sea level. currently there are only 22 people who have climbed all of them. Everest (or Chomolungma), K-2, Annapurna and others – all of them are in Himalayas.

What should you prepare before going to the mountains? What equipment will you take? A rope, crampons, snowshoes, an ice axe, a tent, sunglasses?

Enjoy your expeditions! I have recently climber Jianglang Mountain (江郎山), which is only 819 m tall… but still it was a challenge! Thanks Damon – my student, who took me there. If not him, I wouldn’t have even heard about that place!

What’s another challenge? Yellow Mountain (黄山)? Fuji?…

forever

Would you like to live forever? What would it be like? Exciting, interesting, boring? If not forever, then how long would you like to live?

Is it possible to be forever in love? Why do people exchange marriage vows? How can you keep romance for a long time?

Forever happy? Forever healthy? Keep trying… I do. Do you often use such big words like “forever” and “never”? I usually don’t, because… never say never and nothing lasts forever.

***

Sountrack:

Alphaville, Forever Young

a-ha, Forever Not Yours

Oasis, Live Forever

Dune, Who Wants to Live Forever (a Queen cover)

set fire to the rain

Hitlist #532
May 16th, 2011

1. 3 (6) ADELE, Set Fire To The Rain
2. 8 (7) JAMES BLUNT, If Time Is All I Have
3. 1 (4) LADY GAGA, Judas
4. 6 (3) WITHIN TEMPTATION, Sinéad
5. 2 (9) 周杰伦 (JAY CHOU), 天地一斗 (Tiandi Yi Dou)
6. 9 (3) SADE, Love Is Found
7. 12 (4) 林俊杰 (JJ LIN), 完美新世界 (Wanmei Xin Shijie)
8. 7 (5) GOMEZ, Options
9. 5 (7) PJ HARVEY, The Glorious Land
10. 4 (6) 龚琳娜 (GONG LINNA), 忐忑 (Tante)
11. 15 (2) THE MUSIC, Ghost Hands
12. 11 (8) 潘玮柏 (WILL PAN), UUU
13. 13 (6) DURAN DURAN, Girl Panic!
14. – (1) BRITNEY SPEARS, Hold It Against Me
15. 19 (2) ARCTIC MONKEYS, Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
16. 10 (11) ELLIE GOULDING, Lights
17. 17 (5) ALICIA KEYS FEAT. EVE, Speechless
18. – (1) GEORGE MICHAEL, You And I
19. 14 (6) TAKE THAT, Happy Now
20. 16 (9) LINKIN PARK, Burning In The Skies

Jianglang Mountain (江郎山)

Judas

Hitlist #531
May 9th, 2011


1. 2 (3) LADY GAGA, Judas
2. 1 (8) 周杰伦 (JAY CHOU), 天地一斗 (Tiandi Yi Dou)
3. 3 (5) ADELE, Set Fire To The Rain
4. 4 (5) 龚琳娜 (GONG LINNA), 忐忑 (Tante)
5. 7 (6) PJ HARVEY, The Glorious Land
6. 13 (2) WITHIN TEMPTATION, Sinéad
7. 5 (4) GOMEZ, Options
8. 6 (6) JAMES BLUNT, If Time Is All I Have
9. 14 (2) SADE, Love Is Found
10. 8 (10) ELLIE GOULDING, Lights
11. 9 (7) 潘玮柏 (WILL PAN), UUU
12. 15 (3) 林俊杰 (JJ LIN), 完美新世界 (Wanmei Xin Shijie)
13. 10 (5) DURAN DURAN, Girl Panic!
14. 12 (5) TAKE THAT, Happy Now
15. – (1) THE MUSIC, Ghost Hands
16. 11 (8) LINKIN PARK, Burning In The Skies
17. 19 (4) ALICIA KEYS FEAT. EVE, Speechless
18. 16 (2) 李宇春 (CHRIS LEE), 对不起,只是忽然很想你 (Dui Bu Qi, Zhi Shi Huran Hen Xiang Ni)
19. – (1) ARCTIC MONKEYS, Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
20. 17 (14) 林俊杰 (JJ LIN), I Am

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